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How to switch car insurance bills

This guide on how to switch car insurance outlines how to switch your car insurance when applying for car insurance online.

Thinking of applying for car insurance online? Switching car insurers is easy – and doing it online lets you compare car insurers quickly and benefit from online-only deals. Here's what you need to know:

Your vehicle

Obviously, you need to tell us what car you're insuring.

Type of car

Tell us the registration number and we can look up the details for you.

But you'll need to tell us the car's value. This affects how much your insurance will cost. If it's stolen, your insurer will only pay the market value. So don't deliberately under or overstate the value of the car.

Don't worry - a few hundred pounds won't make a big difference. But to get it right, use a guide like Parkers Price Guide to get the right value for your mileage and condition.

Car security

Insurers want to know how secure the car is – where's it kept (a garage will mean lower bills) and what security features it has.

Modern cars may have alarms, immobilisers and even vehicle trackers fitted as standard.

If yours doesn't, adding one can mean lower car insurance bills (but check what difference it makes before you spend lots of money).

Other car information

There are some other factors we'll need to ask you, such as:

• When you bought the car (don't worry if you haven't done so yet).
• Whether you've made any modifications (which may increase your premium).
• How much you drive each year (the cost may go down if you don't drive much, so work it out properly).

Your cover

You need to tell us what cover you need.

Cover details

Choose an excess–the first part of any claim you have to pay. The higher the figure, the lower your car insurance bill will be.

And tell us about any no claims bonus – your latest renewal notice will tell you how much you've got. Hang on to this, as the new insurer may ask to see it as evidence.

Owner details

There are three things we need to know:

• Vehicle owner – this may be the person who bought the car (e.g. a parent) or a company.
• Registered keeper – this is the person who is named on the Vehicle Registration Document.
• Main driver – this is the person who drives the most

This could be you in all three cases. Or maybe you've bought a car (so you own it), lent it to a child long-term (so they are the registered keeper), but their partner drives it the most (so they are the main driver).

Miscellaneous details

There are three sections here:

Employment details

Your job will affect your premium – whether you're employer or self-employed, your job title and which industry you're in.

Driving details

If you've passed an advanced test like the Pass Plus, you may get a discount.

We also need to know about any accidents, even if not your fault, or convictions in the last five years.

Tell us about all motoring convictions, including fixed-penalty notices and anything pending.

Remember, a speeding fine counts as a conviction – but, depending on your age, insurers may not penalise you for the first couple of speeding fines.

General details

Once you get over your mid 60s, the cost of insurance is likely to go up. Insurers' experience is that older drivers are more likely to claim and any claims are more likely to be expensive. The premiums will reflect this.

You can still get insurance into your 80s with many insurers – but it might become increasingly expensive.

Results

When you've chosen the policy you want, click 'Apply' and you'll be transferred to the insurer's website. Your details will be securely carried over, so you won't have to enter them again.

However, you should check the details, and read the terms and conditions of the insurer before you finally take out the insurance.

How to switch car insurance brought to you by LowerMyBills from Experian

The LowerMyBills guide to switching car insurance was created to help you switch car insurance online looking at the details you need about the vehicle, cover required, as well as factors that will affect your premiums - giving you the information you need on how to switch car insurance.

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